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Georgina

Programming and facility changes amid COVID-19

Mayor Margaret Quirk issued a declaration of emergency on March 19, 2020 in response to COVID-19 in the Town of Georgina.

The Town of Georgina is working closely with York Region Public Health and N6 municipal counterparts monitoring the global situation with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Town has taken precautionary measures regarding facilities, programs and services.

Civic Centre: Closed to the public until further notice. Residents can contact customer service at 905-476-4301 or by email at info@georgina.ca, and make payments through online banking.

Customer service hours: Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For after-hours emergencies about animal control, roads, water or wastewater, call 905-476-4301 and follow the prompts to reach after-hours on-call services. Municipal Law Enforcement can be reached at at 905-476-4301, ext. 2279 or 2272. For after hours and weekends, call ext. 2281. If your call goes to voicemail, leave a detailed message including the date, time and location of the violation, and an officer will investigate.

Parks and beaches: The Town of Georgina is reopening more outdoor amenities while maintaining provincial orders and following the direction of public health authorities. Effective June 8, all parks, excluding waterfront parks and beaches, will reopen for public use while adhering to physical distancing guidelines and provincial restrictions on gatherings. Also reopening are tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts and sports fields for non-organized play. Read the media release.

Decoration Day: Decoration Day at the Keswick Cemetery, scheduled for June 7, has been cancelled.

Virtual Town Hall: Did you miss the virtual Town Hall on May 21? Check it out on our Facebook page.

Burn permits: Online permit applications for agricultural and open-air burn permits are now available. To obtain a permit, property owners are required to complete the application and email the form to fireadmin@georgina.ca for processing. The application can either be printed or downloaded. If the applicant is not the property owner, a letter of authorization must be attached. At this time, only Visa and MasterCard will be the accepted form of payment for an open-air burn permit. The permit fee is $35 for the calendar year. Processing of either permit will take up to eight business days. Visit georgina.ca/fire for more.

Boat launches: Town boat launches are open. This includes Young’s Harbour, Adeline Park, Rayners Park, King Road End, Holmes Point Road across from Peninsula Resort and 101 Clovelly Cove. Anyone launching a boat is asked to maintain physical distancing by staying two metres apart. Parking is limited and available on a first-come basis.

Trails: Town trails are open with the following guidelines:

Practise physical distancing of at least two metres

Leash and pick up after your dog

Take your litter home with you

Parks remain closed with walk-through access only while on designated trails. Park closures include playgrounds, benches and picnic tables.

Town parks: All Town of Georgina parks are closed to the public. This includes beaches and waterfront parks, basketball and tennis courts, playgrounds, skateboard parks, and sports fields. Fishing areas within Town parks are also closed. See someone violating Town closures? Let us know. All Town parks are closed to the public. Georgina by-law officers can issue fines starting at $750 for violation of the provincial orders during COVID-19. If you see non-compliance, call the Municipal Law Enforcement Division at 905-476-4301, ext. 2279 or 2272. For after hours and weekends, call ext. 2281. If your call goes to voicemail, leave a detailed message including the date, time and location of the violation, and an officer will investigate.

Council meetings: The Town is holding virtual Council meetings. The sessions start at 9 a.m. The Town is using the ZOOM platform for the meetings, in addition to the usual broadcast through the Town’s live internet streaming tool. Residents can participate by providing email comments to the Town Clerk, rdillabough@georgina.ca, no later than noon the day before a scheduled meeting. Public comments regarding an item on the agenda will be addressed during the meeting and the email received will be entered into the public record of the meeting.

Property taxes and water/sewer bills: Council previously provided a 30-day waive of penalty and interest associated with the April 27 instalment of the interim tax bill. The Mayor and CAO have now decided to extend this to 90 days. There will be no penalty added in May, June or July for an unpaid April 27 instalment. Residents who have an outstanding amount before April 27 will still incur penalty and interest on those amounts. As well, 2019 water/wastewater rates will remain in place for the duration of 2020. The Town encourages everyone who is able to pay their property taxes on time to continue to do so, as this will allow the municipality to provide relief programs to those in need. Visit georgina.ca/taxes to learn about property tax payment options.

Short-term rental accommodations: By provincial order, every person who provides short-term rentals in rental accommodations shall ensure that any rentals booked after April 4, 2020 are only provided to individuals who are in need of housing during the emergency period. In the Town of Georgina, Short-Term Rental Accommodations (STRA) require a licence that is issued by the Town. Licensed STRAs are allowed to operate under the conditions of the provincial order. Report violations of the provincial order and unlicensed STRAs to the Municipal Law Enforcement Division by calling 905-476-4301, ext. 2272 or 2279. After hours and on weekends, call ext. 2281. If your call is not answered, leave a detailed message.

Recreation and culture programs cancelled: The Town of Georgina has cancelled all spring and summer recreation and culture programs and aquatic lessons. Anyone impacted by cancelled programs and third-party rentals will be contacted directly. The Town will fully refund all user fees charged. All memberships have been put on hold and the length of the membership will be extended.

Summer camps cancelled: The Town has made the decision to cancel all 2020 summer registered programs and aquatic lessons including the existing line-up of summer camp opportunities due to COVID-19. The ROC Challenge Course and Georgina Leisure Pool will also remain closed for the summer season and will remain closed until further notice. Recreation staff are reviewing the summer camp structure and are working diligently to create new ‘COVID-19’ protocol compliant camp experiences with a focus on outdoor activities. Staff will ensure the strictest of health measures are incorporated into the re-design of alternative camp experiences, following guidelines and protocols developed in conjunction with public health officials, and Ontario Ministry of Labour. It is anticipated the new camp experiences will be offered commencing mid-July pending the current provincial Declaration of Emergency and lifting of current provincial restrictions. Refunds will be provided to all preregistered families and will be distributed over the next three weeks. Further details on alternative camp experiences will be shared in the coming weeks.

Recreation at Home: The Town's Recreation and Culture Department is here for you. Are you looking for something fun to keep you and your family engaged while at home? Visit georgina.ca/RecreationAtHome for activities such as games, craft ideas and more. New content will be added regularly.

Garbage and recycling: Will continue to be picked up as per regular schedule. The Town has waived the requirement for bag tags until further notice. The bag limit of five bags/items remains in place. GFL will pick up bulky items such as a mattress. Used latex gloves and masks go in the garbage lined with a plastic bag. They do not go in recycling. If you have questions, contact customer service at 905-476-4301 or GFL at 1-866-421-5625. For more about waste and recycling, download the free Recycle Coach app or visit georgina.ca/WasteandRecycling.

Building services: The Building Division can accommodate most building permit and pool enclosure permit needs at building@georgina.ca or 905-476-4301. If you are unable to reach someone in person, we will make every attempt to contact you within three hours. Visit georgina.ca/building to learn more.

Georgina Fire and Rescue Services: The Fire Services administrative building at 165 The Queensway South is closed to the public.

Parking: While some parking restrictions have been temporarily lifted, such as the three-hour limit, residents are reminded that daytime parking enforcement is still in effect. Everyone is encouraged to be aware of parking signage that indicates no parking or stopping. Lanes need to be clear to allow safe road access for emergency vehicles.

Noise By-law: The Town’s Noise By-law currently meets the requirement to allow all service or delivery trucks, who are providing essential services to continue with their business outside of current daytime hours. This will ensure all essential services and stores will be stocked for our community.

Georgina Animal Shelter: Closed to the public. Staff are on site to provide animal care. The shelter is not accepting any donations. Visit georgina.ca/AnimalServices for more.

Human Resources: The health and well-being of Town of Georgina employees, residents and job applicants is our top priority. In response to COVID-19, the Town will not be conducting any in-person interviews at this time. New postings are suspended until further notice.

As this matter is continually evolving, residents are encouraged to follow the Town’s communications channels, including this webpage and social media, for updates (Facebook and Twitter).

All inquiries related to COVID-19 should be directed to York Region Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653, Monday to Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.